Railway recruitment racket busted by Mumbai police, two held

The Mumbai Police today claimed to have busted a multi-state railway recruitment scam with the arrest of two men, who allegedly took money from unemployed youths by promising them jobs in "railway minister's quota".

The probe of the racket was started on the instructions of Railway Minister Piyush Goyal a few days ago, police today said.

The racket may have spread its tentacles across many states, said Deputy Commissioner of Police Abhishek Trimukhe.

Rufus Dabre (38), a resident of Vasai in neighbouring Thane district, and Manjeetsingh Chilotre (46), a resident of suburban Malad in Mumbai were arrested in the case yesterday, he said.

The Railway Recruitment Board had put out an advertisement for appointment of grade C and D posts of "Railway Defence Candidates" earlier this year.

The accused told jobs aspirants that they could secure jobs for them through "railway minister's quota" on payment of money, the official said.

Chilotre was nabbed from Delhi, said an officer of the MRA Marg Police Station here where the offence has been registered.

Chilotre was scouting for gullible job aspirants in the national capital and the police seized some documents from his possession which he tried to destroy while being arrested, the DCP said.

The railway minister had received an e-mail a few days ago which said there was a scam in the ongoing recruitment of Grade C and D employees, the police official said.

On Goyal's instructions, his personal secretary Pravin Gedam lodged a complaint with city police on August 20.

"We have identified seven members of this racket and arrested two," DCP Trimukhe said.

"During the investigation we found that this gang had duped job seekers of a total of Rs 93 lakh," he said.

Chilotre, an estate agent, was allegedly the mastermind of the scam, he said.

Dabre, who is an insurance agent, had allegedly collected at least Rs 6 to 7 lakh each from seven job aspirants, the DCP said.

Both the accused were produced before a court today which remanded them in police custody till August 30.